The Drivecast

The Toyota Prius is an icon, a statement, and possibly a moment in time as the nameplate approaches its 30th anniversary. Sales of what was once a cultural icon are spiraling. The Prius arguably hasn't been the "it car" that it was once upon a time with EVs taking the mantle for an eco-friendly statement, countless hybrid entries now flooding the market in every conceivable shape and size, and time itself marching on. Even Toyota's own showroom is filled with hybrids.

The latest Prius is a winner in terms of eye-catching design, but its a loser in terms of sales. It's not a new issue, but it's a continuing one with the numbers becoming grimmer as the months and years go by. The Prius has had a rough decade. It's likely not one single issue at hand, but multiple factors all colliding at once.

Senior Editor Adam Ismail and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder dive into what Toyota said in terms of Prius sales plunging, take a look at all the outside factors, and discuss whether the outlook is dire for the Prius or if the icon will live on.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Prius Sales Are Tanking So Far in 2026. We Asked Toyota Why

2026 Toyota Prius Nightshade Review: The Practical Car Goes Peacocking

I Drove a Yellow Toyota Prius and My Whole Town Fell in Love

00:00 Intro

04:38 Prius sales are tanking

09:30 The Prius vs the Camry

11:53 Sedan sales can still be healthy

13:11 Various factors affecting Prius sales

14:04 The Prius was a household name

16:22 Does the Prius matter anymore?

23:33 Do we need a sporty Prius?

24:14 Will Toyota kill the Prius in the U.S.? Will the nameplate live on?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With gas topping $4 a gallon this week amid the war with Iran, the EPA announced a plan to lower prices and stretch America's fuel supply by cutting more of it with ethanol. Will it work? Probably not. And as Joel, Kyle, and Andrew explain, it could actually ruin your car's engine.

Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn, and it's commonly added to gasoline as an oxygenator that helps it burn more cleanly and raises the octane rating. We used to use lead, but... that didn't work out. But there are downsides: it's less energy dense than uncut gasoline, so the more ethanol you add, the less efficient your car's engine runs. It's also a solvent, so it will eat away at rubber seals, hoses, and plastics in engines not designed for it. And it degrades quicker in higher temperatures, creating more smog during the summer.

Normally, a gallon of gas is about 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline by liquid volume. E15 gas, which is 15% ethanol, is sold in a number of states during the cooler months as "88 octane", and it's a bit cheaper—because you're literally buying less gas and more ethanol per gallon. Oil companies are typically banned from selling it from June to September because of the smog issue, but the EPA is now waiving the rule to encourage refineries to make more E15.

But if your car was made before 2001, even that 5% bump in ethanol content can really screw up your engine. E15 gas will also damage smaller two-stroke engines in motorcycles, lawn mowers, and boats. And even if you have a newer car, there's still a risk that comes with opting for cheaper 88 octane—especially if your car requires premium fuel.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

The Feds Plan To Start Diluting Gasoline This May: Explained

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The secret is out: Toyota is planning to build a crazy Baja-blasting version of the Tundra pickup. Does it stand a chance against the Ford F-150 Raptor? And why are we so obsessed with uber off-road trucks in America anyways?

We've been on top of this story since 2022, when a source tipped us off that the model was in development. Things went quiet for a while, but earlier this month we uncovered a trademark filing from Toyota for the name "TRD Hammer," and another source confirmed the name would be used for a high-speed, desert-runner pickup to compete with the Ford Raptor and the Ram TRX, plus a few more key specs.

This week, Kyle and Joel are spilling the details our reporting uncovered, explaining how we tracked the story over four years, and breaking down the complex reasons why factory off-road pickups and SUVs have become more outrageous—and more popular—than ever before. Plus, what it means for the multibillion-dollar aftermarket industry that's seeing automakers take a bite out of their business.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:


A Raptor-Fighting Toyota Tundra Desert Truck Is In Development: Source


Looks Like the Toyota Tundra Raptor Rival Has a Name: TRD Hammer


Toyota’s Tundra TRD Hammer Targets V6 F-150 Raptor With Hybrid Power and 37-inch tires


Why a simple new truck has to cost over $70,000 in 2025 (YouTube)


2026 Ford Mustang Raptor Rumor Sounds Too Crazy To Be True … or Is It?

00:00 Intro

02:10 The battle heats up

05:19 How Ford made the market

08:23 Toyota's secret revealed

25:55 Why GM is MIA

30:25 Why the off-road business is booming

45:17 Outro
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ah, Montana. Big Sky Country, the Last Best Place, and... Land of Tax Evasion?

This week, we're diving into the controversy around the Montana license plate loophole. A quirk of Montana law allows non-residents to buy and register cars there without ever setting foot in the state, and it's been heavily used by wealthy people around the country to avoid paying their own state's sales taxes and registration fees on expensive cars—saving tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

As a result, Montana has twice as many registered cars as actual people living in the state. And those other states are getting sick of losing millions of dollars in revenue to Montana. This month, California charged 14 people with tax evasion, money laundering, and conspiracy over using the loophole, pushing an open secret into the national spotlight, with the promise of more enforcement to come.

It's turning into a real mess. The Drive's editor-in-chief Kyle Cheromcha and executive editor Andrew Collins are breaking down how exactly the Montana trick works, what happened in California, and why this loophole is so hard to close for the rest of the country.

Thanks to the National Corvette Museum for sponsoring today's episode! Enter here (https://bit.ly/4uBefxU) for your chance to win a '65 Corvette. Entries close April 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT. This is your shot – don’t let it pass.

Link to the California case charging document: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Complaint_Redacted_1.pdf

Stories mentioned in today's episode:


California Is Done With Rich Guys Registering Their Exotic Cars in Montana


YouTuber WhistlinDiesel Arrested for Allegedly Evading Sales Tax on Ferrari F8 Tributo

Why the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is a Secret Tax Write-Off

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

General Motors just did something unprecedented. It brought a car back from the dead—with the promise of killing it again. Today, we're diving into the life, death, and temporary revival of the $29,000 Chevrolet Bolt—the cheapest EV you can buy in America—and how its saga represents a lot that's gone wrong in the new car market is today.

The Bolt was GM's first modern electric car when it was launched in 2017, beating the Tesla Model 3 to production. For a time was the only EV under $50,000 with over 200 miles of range, and owners adored their little oddball hatchbacks. But in 2023, GM announced it was killing the Bolt to focus on building full-size electric pickups and SUVs, part of a massive plan to make an all-EV lineup by 2035.

People were furious . The media (hi) was incredulous. Why would GM just kill a popular, affordable EV with sales at an all-time high? After a few months of heavy criticism, GM reversed course and promised it would find a way to put the Bolt back into production. It was an unprecedented move, but three years and a lot of work later, the car is back, basically the same price, better than ever.

Trouble is, it's a completely different world now. EV sales have plateaued, no one is buying those expensive electric pickups, the federal tax credit is gone, and the Bolt is now the cheapest electric car you can buy in this country. Other automakers are prepping their own affordable EVs to compete. And yet, GM is getting ready to kill the Bolt again in just 18 months.

What is going on here? Joel and Kyle get into it all after Kyle spent a day test-driving the new-old Chevy Bolt and pressing the car's engineering team for answers.

[Thanks to the National Corvette Museum for sponsoring today's episode! Enter here (https://bit.ly/4uBefxU) for your chance to win a '65 Corvette. Entries close April 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT. This is your shot – don’t let it pass.]

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

2027 Chevrolet Bolt First Drive Review: Back from the Dead and Better Than Ever

00:00 Intro

04:07 Bolt's rise and fall

12:11 Who killed the Bolt?

24:30 The resurrection

30:16 The new Bolt's promise

43:44 Uncertain future
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices